Impeoved eaileoad-eail joint



i s gnitrbtatrs stent @fitta BENJAMIN SCOTT, 0F N EW BRIGHTON,PENNSYLVANIA.

i l Letters Patent No. 68,122, dated August 27, 1867. i

- .IMPROVED RAILROAD-RAIL JOINT.-

TO ALL' WHOMT MAY CONCEEBN:

l Be it known that VI, BENJAMIN SCOTT, oi' New Brighton, in the countyof Beaver, and Stute OfPennSylvnnin, have invented a new and nsoulimprovement in Clamp Truss-Joint for Railroad Rails; and l do herebydeclare the following to be a full and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part ofthis specification, and in whicht Figure l is atransverse verticalsection cf rail, clamps, and'block. v

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same. i' i Figure 3 is a side viewlof combination block.`

Figure l i's 4a plan `view of clamp, showing the groove and tangs in theangle.

Tbisvinvention consists of two sections'of a clamp, Vso.construci',ed asto form a truss-joint, to operate betweenA the cross-ties, for joiningand supporting the ends of railroad rails. The said clamp is so made andapplied as to embrace the base, webs, and necks of 4the rails, withangesbevelled from below upward, and projecting downward to anydesirable length, meet at their lower-edges to form a fulicruin orbearing-point forthe screw-bolts, two or more passing through the saidilanges above their point of contact, and acting on the principle of thelever, to press rmlythe ends of the jaws of the clamp against the ncclsof the rails, thus constituting, inl effect, a truss-joint of greatstrength and durability. l V

The invention further consists in combining, with the aforesaid clni'np,a block of hard wood, which' adds strength to thejoin-L, and brings thenuts into convenient position to be reached by a wrench from above, andprevents their working loose by the jarring of `the rails; llherearealso tangs.` in the angles of the grooves,

which engagein notches in the base of the rails to keep the clamppermanently in place, and, at-the saine time,

permit sufficient play to allow room for expansionand--contractien A Arepresent railroad rails of ordinary construction.vv B B represent `thetwo sections 'of'a wrought or l rolled iron clamp, oi' any lengthorwidth desirable, each section ofthe clamp consisting of a body, a,andjaw, b, made to fit closely the `base and web of the rails,.with theend of thejaw pressing against the neck of the rails, and a ange, c,projecting beneath the rails to anylength necessary to give the requiredleverage power.` f D represents the `fulcrnm point, and d d the beveloi' anges from the fulcrum to the base ofthe rails,ani l z' the spaceformed by the bevels d il E represents the combination block.- Hrepresents side view ofjoint, showingl the.bolts` g g, G representsa'plan view of a section of the clamp, showin-g the tangs h z, malle toengage in the sionof themas. j Y l My truss-joint is not intended .torest upon the ties, but occupies a position between the ties, beingsupported only by the rails.`V The-joint is thus made very elastic,andthe ends of the rails nre less subject to wear and battering thanwhen rigidly supported. The sectionsB B of the clarnp are so constructedthat they williit closely `aroundthe-base and neck of the rail, andwhenthey are adjusted to the rails,rand the lower edges of the flangesvare brought in contact, they `form a fulcrum, D, so that wren the boltsg are appliedv through the iangesiV above the-point of contact, they actas a lever, having the space 'i for its sweep, and make the bodies andjawsI I of the clamp, together with the flanges, operate as braces ofstrength suicent to secure rmly the ends of the 4rails in place, and thewhole, in combination with the rails, form n truss between thecross-ties.

I am aware that railroad chairs have been constructed, in two parts, insuch a waythat the downwardAV pressure ofthe rail upon the inner edgesofthe base of the chair, iisin the connecting-bolts as a fulcrum, willcause the jaws to gripe the neck'of the rail, as shown in D. W.Crocker-"s patent `of January 25, 1859; also,

i that it has been proposed to make railroad chairs with a. flexibleconnection iat-bottom, and screw-bolts above to clampthe jaws upon therail. These inventions, therefore, I do not claini.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-g 4 1. The combination of the two rigid parts, B B, of a dividedclamp-joint, Vconstructed witbjaws b b fitting closely around the baseand neck oi the rails, and downwardly-projecting anges a a, meeting attheir lower edges D, and -bevelled upward to form a space, t', betweenthem, when usedh'in connection with bolts g -passed through the flangesa a 'above-the fuloruIn-point D,all as herein shown and described, andlor the purposes 4specified. A p I.

2. I further claim, in combination with the above, the blockoi' hardwood E, ttmgthe 4angle between the t ange and body of the olansptofacilitate the working of the nuts from above, and to obviate the jar,and thereby i by s t. x prevent t4 e un crewmgof the nu s BENJAMINSCOTT. Witnesses:

' -Nnrssn K. Eraswosirn,

